The Shadow of the Mask
by Shadow of the Mask
Summary: It has been about five years since the destruction of the upper levels of the Opera Populaire, and Erik still resides in his underground lair. Now, for the first time in years, he has a visitor - a long forgotten girl from his past. Will he welcome her?
1. Chapter 1

Erik glanced up from his music, instantly alert as his blue eyes pierced the darkness to discover the source of the sound that had distracted him. His eyes traveled across the lake dividing his home from the outside world and focused on an unusual shadow shivering against the chilly rocks. The shadow hovered at the edge of the lake, then wavered and tumbled into the dark water with a resounding splash. Erik leapt up soundlessly from the organ and raced to his gondola, swiftly setting it into motion and climbing aboard. He steered the watercraft towards a light-skinned figure floating face down in the water. As he reached the form, he saw that the figure was a young girl - perhaps seventeen or eighteen years of age, he thought - wearing the ragged clothes of an orphaned street boy. He hefted her waterlogged body into the boat and held up a lantern to her shadow-cloaked face. Her dark brown eyes fluttered open for a moment and focused on his, then her thin lips parted and uttered a single word. _Erik. _Then her eyelids fell shut and her body went limp as she lost consciousness. _Erik_. The word resounded in his mind – she knew his name! He may have known her before the destruction of the opera… but what if she were merely another intruder obsessed with the legends of the opera ghost? After a few agonizing moments of deliberation, he turned the boat around and headed for the shore, his brilliant mind racing all the while to place a name with that sweet young face. As he reached the edge of his home, he lifted her into his arms again and stepped onto the land. For a few seconds his eyes drifted to the cold black depths, considering releasing the girl into the arms of eternity while she was still unconscious. But no, his curiosity would not allow it. Instead, he strode purposefully across the stone floor of his home to the swan bed and laid her down gently in it, remembering the night when he laid a very different girl onto the soft red velvet. He drew the gauzy black curtains shut and, after one last lingering stare, returned to his music. He would occupy himself with the symphony in his mind until she awoke – there was no chance of her escaping his underground world without his knowledge.

As much as he tried to focus, though, his mind kept drifting back to the depths of her coffee-brown eyes. Something kept tugging at the edge of his memory – a stab of joy seared his heart at the sound of her voice. Something inside of him went wild trying to recall old memories when her eyes locked on his. _Whose is that voice?_ Erik allowed himself a hollow chuckle as the sentence whispered through his mind. If only that sniveling DeChagny brat had known whom "the voice" belonged to at the time he uttered those very words, he would have left Christine alone. Oh, Christine! Erik shook his head. No! Those memories had died with the opera house. No more thoughts of Christine. But wait – didn't she have a little friend with her at times? Yes, the Giry girl… Meg was her name. She had brown eyes. He paced over to the bed and peeked through the curtain. No, this wasn't her. Meg would surely be a full-fledged woman by now. This girl was only a teenager; as Christine was when she first came to his world of darkness, darkness.

With a sigh of frustration, Erik returned to his organ. He sat down and forced himself to touch the keys, to play something, anything, to keep his thoughts in reign. No more thoughts of those who had passed – Christine was dead to him, and that was final. As his fingers trailed over the ivory keys, the music of the organ joined with the pained voice of his past… _Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you._


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Thanks so much to all of you who have reviewed/favorited this story! You made my week! Just to warn you, the timing is about to get a little funky… from here on out, every other chapter will be a flashback. In almost each flashback, the characters change their ages. Right now, in the present, Erik is 31 and Shadow is 18. _

_Chapter 2_

_Erik had finally immersed himself in his music when a moan broke his concentration. He immediately hurried to the swan bed and threw back the curtain, hoping that the girl was conscious to answer his questions. He growled in frustration as he realized that the noise had been involuntary; the girl was still out cold. Speaking of cold… Erik noticed that the young woman was shivering, and realized that he hadn't even had the presence of mind to get her out of her wet clothes. He gently lifted the girl in his arms and began stripping off her soaked clothing with difficulty. He was grateful to find a pair of bloomers beneath her trousers, and likewise a coarse undershirt beneath her masculine shirt and overcoat. As interested as he was in the girl, he was not interested in her that_ way. As he removed her cap, he noticed the short, choppy way her ash blonde hair was cut, as if she had done it herself with a dull pair of scissors. This girl had obviously been living on her own for quite some time. 

Erik gently laid her back down onto the bed and left to search for a warm blanket, all the while racking his brain for some clue as to her identity. This endless puzzle was getting old; if she didn't regain consciousness soon, he would surely go mad… _again_, he added bitterly to himself. Finally he apprehended a thick, soft tapestry hanging on the wall and shook it viciously to remove the dust that had gathered on it. As he returned to the bedroom, his footsteps on the cold stone floor left a resounding echo that pounded into his dark thoughts; almost like the echoes of the footsteps of the little ballerinas that had pounded above his head. The Opera Populaire still thrived in his memories, even though the only occupants of the building at present were Erik and the many rats that had declared the darkness as a suitable haven. 

As he reached the doorway of the bedroom, he almost dropped the tapestry at the sight of the girl lying unconscious on his bed. Her still form lying there reminded him so much of Christine… Christine… No! He cursed his wandering mind angrily. No more unbidden thoughts! He hurried to the bed and lifted the girl in his arms again, carefully balancing her against him with one arm while attempting to wrap the makeshift blanket around her with the other. He had just gotten the blanket to stay in place when her eyelashes fluttered briefly, causing him to pause in his work. 

"Erik," a soft feminine voice whispered. He stared at the pale face in awe. Had she really just spoken, or was it his imagination? His doubts were dispelled when a moment later she shifted in his arms. 

Her eyes blinked open slowly and gazed into his as they had when he held her in the boat. A small smile graced her thin lips as she beheld the ivory-masked face before her. Erik quickly laid her onto the bed and began to step away, when the hand weakly grasping the ruffles of his white shirt stopped him. 

"Please stay," the soft voice whispered. "Please." Erik obediently perched on the edge of the bed, and she released his shirt with a satisfied grin. "Still a pushover, hmm Erik?" Erik found his voice and replied to the question with firm dignity. 

"I am not, nor have I ever been, able to be coerced against my will. I merely stayed because… because…" Erik faltered as he tried to think of a good reason, goaded on by her gentle smirk. "Because you, miss, have a great many questions to answer, and I will not leave until you have satisfied my inquisition!" Erik glared at her, congratulating himself inwardly for his stern answer. The teenager smiled back at him, unfazed, her lips parting as she began to sing quietly to the tune of _his_ prelude to Music of the Night.

"Have the years caused your memory to fade away? Or have you forgotten your little relentless shadow… shadow?" She watched him silently as his countenance blanched. Shadow… could it be possible? But that had been so many years ago… he had only glimpsed her once, but that moment had burned into his mind forever. He thought about that day, and gazed at the young woman in front of him. Yes, this had to be her. She had deep brown eyes, bordering on black; blonde hair that used to be long and straight, now feathered and short; the sweet, innocent smile. This was the shadow who had haunted him for years as he had haunted the Opera and its inhabitants. _Shadow_…


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Merry CHRISTmas, everyone! I'm uploading three chapters today as a special Christmas present to my readers. ****J**** Flashback time! I have also posted this story on , and some people there have had problems figuring out how old the characters are in each scene, so I'll post ages at the beginning of each chapter. For this one, Erik is 20 and Shadow is about 7. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3**

**Erik stomped down the stone stairs toward his waterways angrily. **_**I am twenty years old today, and no one knows. Not even that Giry woman offered me a word of congratulation! **_**"Twenty years old and completely alone in the world!" he yelled at the cold walls. He gazed up toward the ceiling and glared at it as though he could see through the solid rock and into the main lobby of the opera. "Has life nothing better to offer me than a lifetime of THIS!" he shouted as he ripped off his own mask and gestured toward his disfigured face. A small giggle seemed to escape from the very walls. Erik whirled about instantly, scanning the stairway for the source of the sound. He put his mask back on swiftly and pulled his cloak around him tighter as he pressed himself against the wall and waited silently for another sign of his unwelcome companion. He started and leapt away from the wall as a voice purred out from behind him. Was he going mad, suddenly hearing the walls speak? **

"**Poor Erik", the youthful voice soothed. The voice was definitely female, and sounded as though it belonged to a child of about seven years of age. "Did no one remember your birthday? Well, I will from now on! In fact, I will even sing for you!" Then the voice broke into a squeaky, extremely off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday". Erik stared at the wall disbelievingly as the voice finished off – its? her? - song. "Well? Did you like it?" Erik's lips parted and worked silently, wishing that his voice would function as well as his brain. Then again, he wasn't even sure that his brain was doing so well. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" His vocal chords slowly came back into use as he attempted to respond. **

"**Where… what… are… what… you…" Erik stammered as he stared fixedly at the damp stone wall before him. "Are you… the wall?" he finally managed to choke out. The cheerful laugh that responded nearly caused him to leap out of his skin. **

"**Nope! Want to guess again?" There was silence as Erik gazed blankly at the speaking non-wall. "Oh well – I'll go ahead and tell you then! I'm a shadow. I've been here for two whole weeks now! I'm surprised that you haven't noticed me before." **_**Two whole weeks…**_** Erik tried to process the information that a talking shadow had been on his wall for two weeks. **

"**Here… where is here? The stairwell?"**

"**No, silly! Below the Opera. I really like your house! And your boat is pretty. And so is your piano." **

"**Organ!" Erik corrected instantly. He cursed himself inwardly for responding to the voice… the shadow, as she referred to herself. He wasn't sure if someone was playing a joke on him, or if he was simply going insane. He preferred the first theory. Although, for them to have seen his home… been inside his dwelling… he shuddered at the prospect.**

"**Are you cold? Your cape looks nice and warm… but it is chilly down here. I know of a mission a few blocks away where-"**

"**No, I'm not cold! I was just shivering at the thought that I am talking to an inanimate object – no, not even an object – an illusion of the light! And that it is talking back to me. If this is a joke, beware - you have gone too far! I **_**will**_** find you and exact my revenge! And if I am going insane, I refuse to listen to the addled blabber of my own mind, hence I bid you farewell, whoever or whatever you are!" With that angry speech, Erik shook his cape behind him as if shaking off dust and ran down the stairs. **

**The voice behind him stayed in place, letting out a mournful sigh. "Farewell, Erik," she whispered. Then, with a sneaky smile evident in her voice, added on, "For now!"**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Present day - Erik 31, Shadow 18**

**Chapter 4**

**Erik regained some of the color in his face as he gazed at the young woman before him. It was hard to believe that this beautiful creature was the same chirping little shadow who had flitted about his walls for the first time eleven years ago. Or rather, **_**behind**_** his walls, as he learned a few months after he met her. **

**Once he had deduced that his "shadow" was neither a hallucination nor a practical joke, he spent nearly all of his time away from Christine in tracking down his self-elected guest. In the weeks that followed, he caught glimpses of a short, shadow-cloaked figure darting before him. Once he almost caught the child, but she darted into a narrow passageway before he could lunge after her. He soon came to realize that the passages she kept disappearing into were ones he had explored as a boy. As he had grown in stature and his shoulders broadened, several of the entrances to his old haunts had become too small for him to fit in. The more he had listened to the sound of his shadow's voice, the more certain he was that she was hidden somewhere in those abandoned tunnels. **

**At first he despised her presence and the way her childish voice interrupted his deep introspections. Her twittering voice was everywhere; in his halls, his house, even his very bedroom. Soon though, as they both matured and her words became less silly and girlish, he began to regard her voice as a companion. He visited Christine each evening to administer her lessons, and to sing her to sleep, but during the day his shadow was his sole amuser. His once empty world of darkness was filled with a sunny voice that occupied him for hours on end with her friendly remarks, curious questions, and soul-baring conversations.**

"**Well? Are you going to kill me now?" Erik shook himself from his reminiscing and gazed into the eyes of his little companion. Her face was solemn, and her dark eyes troubled. **

"**No! Of course not. Why would I kill you?" Erik smiled gently as he recalled the many times he had wished to be rid of her cheerful company in the past. How welcome that company was to him now! "My relentless shadow has returned to me. And I thought I had lost her forever!" Her eyes dropped from his as she breathed a small sigh. At first he could not discern whether the sigh was from relief or from some other source. His heart plummeted as he realized her pain when she spoke again.**

"**Your shadow was only lost to you by your own choosing, Monsieur. She would have danced along your walls these past six years if you had not driven her out. And perhaps you wish her to leave again?" Her tear-filled eyes darted up to meet his as she questioned him. Erik couldn't bring himself to gaze into those deep pools of sorrow. He turned away and sighed heavily as he recalled the day he had driven her away. **


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Erik 25, Shadow 12**

**Chapter 5**

_**Erik…**_** As the twelve-year-old's voice drifted through the walls, Erik glanced up from his writing desk. He had been composing all night, trying to find the right notes and words to convey his devotion to his love. **

"**Shadow!" he exclaimed. "In all of my twenty-five years, never have I exacted so much joy from my worthless existence as I did last night. She was here, Shadow! Here! In my home." A happy laugh echoed from the wall beside him.**

"**Did you doubt that she would come? You know the effect you have on her… should could not have resisted your call if she had wanted to." Erik grinned at his shadow's praise and stacked the pages of flowing music that he had written. **

"**Erik… may I come in?" He glanced up from his work in confusion.**

"**Of course! You're already in, aren't you?"**

"**No… I mean yes. I am in your walls, Erik. But – may I come into your home?" Erik stared at the wall in astonishment. In the five years he had known his "little relentless shadow" as he fondly referred to her at times, she had never offered to reveal herself to him; nor had he asked her to. Their companionship was mutually secluded; the two had never met in person. Erik pondered this for a moment, then thoughtfully replied.**

"**Do you really want to reveal yourself to me? You know that to see me is to know fear itself… do you wish to subject yourself to a lifetime of knowing my appearance?"**

"**You're only fearsome in appearance when you aren't wearing your mask; I've heard the stage hands say so. And anyhow… aren't you curious to see what I look like? You've been speaking to a mere shadow for five years. Wouldn't you rather speak with a real, live girl instead?" Erik bowed his head in acknowledgement. **

"**By all means, then… won't you come in?" He could hear his heart pounding with anticipation as he awaited her appearance. At first there seemed to be no reaction on her part. Then, suddenly, he noticed a curtain rustling - the same curtain that hid a mirror with an escape tunnel behind it. A slight hand slid the curtain to one side daintily, and he gazed on in awe as the young girl stepped through the mirror behind it. Her figure was hidden by an oversized, bulky coat whose sleeves were pushed up to her elbows, but her face was entirely uncovered. A halo of golden hair surrounded her slender, angelic face, and cascaded down her shoulders. His eyes traveled down the coat to the white cotton hem of her dress and the bare, dirty feet below them; then blinked back up to study her glowing cheeks and her dark brown, serious eyes as she waited tacitly for his approval. His lips parted into a gentle smile as he gazed upon his old friend for the first time. Her own smile mirrored his as she found acceptance in his eyes. **

"**And to think that these five years I have referred to you as a shadow… you seem to be more of a sunbeam." His tender comment was met by a shy chuckle. **

"**No, Monsieur – sunbeams have no place in this darkness I call my home."**

"**The darkness is my home as well, and I too used to believe that sunbeams had no place in it. However, after Christine's visit last night and your visit this afternoon, I am beginning to change my mind." Erik held out a hand to the girl and, as she took it, led her gently to a couch and motioned for her to sit. "May I get you something? A drink, perhaps?"**

"**No thank you," she replied with a sweet smile as she seated herself on the dark cushions. Her curious eyes wandered over his home, his belongings, and finally rested on him. A moment of awkward silence passed between them, then Erik stirred the air with a low laugh. **

"**Isn't this strange? All this time we've known each other, and yet we act as though we were complete strangers. I've never known you to be so quiet. Tell me, what brings you to my humble abode? Surely not mere curiosity about my appearance?" Shadow ducked her head with a sheepish smile. **

"**No, I am afraid my motives are even worse than you think." A long pause occurred as she tried to gather her thoughts. "I… I need a place to stay for a while. Not just yet – in a couple of months or so, I think. But the empty caves I've live in now won't do, because I can't be alone then… I'll need someone with me – and I'm not sure I'll be able to take care of myself completely. I mean, I've never been like this before. I'm not sure what to do, and – I need help. You're the only friend I have, and… I don't want to impose, but… you're all I have." Her desperate rush of words left him completely taken aback. With a look of utter confusion in his eyes, he attempted to clarify her muddled plea.**

"**You wish to live here – with me?"**

"**Yes, Monsieur. It won't be for long, I promise! Just a couple of months. And I can work hard and pay you back for your care…" Erik silenced her with a raised hand.**

"**This is an odd request, indeed. Most people would rather run screaming from my masked visage than solicit a couple of months or so near it. I am highly inclined to deny your request, but as I happen to be your only friend, I am willing to consider it - under the condition that you explain why you would need such care." Shadow dropped her gaze and bit her lip, then released a heavy sigh. **

**She stood up slowly from the couch, and began to unbutton her enormous coat. This task finished, she slowly drew the material open and dropped the coat off of her slender arms to reveal her simple, modest white cotton dress. She raised her eyes, filled with fear and worry, to study his puzzled expression. He tilted his head slightly to the side, not understanding her gesture. She gazed pointedly down at her own stomach, then back up to him. He mimicked her gaze and found himself staring at an obviously rounded belly, grotesquely mocking the rest of her slim form. This girl, his innocent little shadow, was quite obviously three or four months pregnant. His eyes traveled back up to meet hers, and she trembled as she saw the rage in them. **

"**How dare you!" She jumped at his sudden outburst, and tears filled her eyes as she drew back in fear. "You show yourself to me for the first time, enchant me, then beg me for shelter from your own immorality? You little lying Delilah!"**

"**Please Monsieur, it wasn't like that! It wasn't my…"**

"**SILENCE!" She jumped again at the sudden volume and anger in his voice. "I will hear none of your excuses! Leave this place immediately, before I decide to kill you instead!" Tears streamed down her face as she backed away towards the hidden passage. **

"**Please, it wasn't…"**

"**LEAVE!"**

"**But Monsieur,"**

"**NOW! And not another word from you. Go!" Her shoulder bumped the entrance to the tunnel as she took another step back. Now freely sobbing, she begged him one last time with her eyes. **

"**GO!" Erik lifted a candlestick and hurled it in her direction. She jumped aside as the heavy metal smashed into the mirror, shattering it into a thousand shimmering silver edges. She turned and fled into the passage, running blindly in terror as he hurled curses and insults after her. **

**After Erik had exhausted the whole of his derogatory vocabulary, he stormed back to the couch and picked up the large coat she had left behind, flinging it into the lake in anger. He stared as the coat, floating for the moment, began to absorb water. Darkness spread from the sagging middle to the outer edges of the fabric, each shade drawing the material down deeper into the water, until it had sunk completely from view. His dark thoughts regarded it as a subtle irony – his sweet little shadow had been talking about a lad named Francois for weeks, until every conversation hailed an opportunity for her to mention something her sweetheart had said or done. He had smiled at her glowing reports of her newfound childish love, but now each fond reference to the boy seemed to have been a shade of darkness spreading upon her innocent soul. Now, with this great stain upon her, she had sunk completely out of his sight. He would not even allow her to speak one sentence through the walls in the days to come, although she attempted regularly to make some contact with him. Each word she spoke to him was drowned out by his enraged shouts for her to "Be silent!" or "Leave this place at once!", or by the roar of his latest work being hammered out on his organ. **

**A frenzy of passionate composing overtook him in his anger, and for days he was entirely immersed in his music. By the time the last note faded away, he noticed the heavy silence that settled over his home. No rustlings, no stirs, no whispers disturbed the straining tension of darkness beyond his ring of candlelight. He assumed that his shadow had given up her begging for the time being, or fallen asleep. By the time two days had passed, he knew this was not the case. She was gone.**


End file.
